NEWS

EU Parliament Voted against Comprehensive Agreement on Investment
On May 21st, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly for a resolution which stated to put on hold any consideration to ratify the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), as long as China’s retaliatory sanctions against MEPs and the Parliament’s human rights subcommittee are in place, and urged the European Commission to use the deal as a leverage instrument to improve the protection of human rights in China. The European Parliament further demanded EU members states to suspend their existing extradition treaties with China. 

Passing of the Resolution on Uyghur Genocide in Lithuanian Parliament
The WUC has applauded the passing of a resolution in the Lithuanian Parliament on May 20th, condemning and recognizing China’s crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghurs, becoming the second in the European Union to do so after the Dutch Parliament. WUC President, Dolkun Isa stated: “We are immensely grateful for the Lithuanian Parliament, under the initiative taken by MP Dovilė Šakalienė , to recognize the Uyghur genocide. The rest of the EU should follow suit and condemn the ongoing genocide against the Uyghur people”.

Letter to suspend all extradition treaties between EU Member States and China
Over 50 activists in exile have called in an open letter to the EU bodies and Member States for immediate suspension of all extradition treaties between EU Member States and mainland China. The activists say the extradition treaties “play a key role in the CCP’s effort to export its regime of political terror overseas.” The signatories include Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong activists, including WUC’s Dolkun Isa, Rahima Mahmut, Zumretay Arkin, and Gheyyur Qurban.

Belgian Parliament Holds Hearing on Uyghur Genocide
On May 18th, the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives held a hearing on the Uyghur crisis, with a specific focus on whether China’s crimes against the Uyghurs constitute crimes against humanity and genocide. Ahead of the meeting, which was rescheduled because of a cyber attack two weeks ago, the WUC called upon the Belgian Chamber to recognize the Uyghur genocide. During the hearing itself, Belgian Committee members heard from camp survivor Qelbinur Sidiq, as well as from WUC’s EU Policy Coordinator Koen Stoop and ULB Professor Vanessa Frangville. The Belgian Chamber is expected to introduce its final resolution soon.

On May 21, the Berligian Senate adopted a resolution which condemns Uyghur Forced Labour. It further called upon the Belgian government to urge Belgian companies to exit the Uyghur region and introduce import bans on products linked to human rights violations, including forced labour.

WUC Annual Report
On may 19th, the WUC released its 2020 annual report, presenting a detailed review of China’s crimes against the Uyghurs and providing an in-depth analysis of the most pressing issues facing Uyghurs in East Turkistan, as well as in the diaspora. ”This report is important because it gives a comprehensive overview of the human rights violations in East Turkistan, but it also makes key recommendations to both the Chinese government and the international community” said WUC President Dolkun Isa.

Hearing in the German Parliament
On May 17th, the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the German Parliament held a public hearing entitled the “International Legal Assessment of Human Rights Violations against the Uyghurs”. The majority of the legal and human rights experts, including Adrian Zenz and Wenzel Michalski from Human Rights Watch, concluded that the Chinese government is committing crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic people in East Turkistan. Furthermore, they discussed how China could be held accountable in Germany and on the international level. Ahead of the parliamentary hearing on the Uyghur crisis, the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur community in Germany protested in front of the Bundestag in Berlin, calling on Germany to determine the crimes against the Uyghurs and others as genocide and to to take urgent action.

WUC Joins Calls to Boycott Beijing 2022 Olympics
On Monday, May 17th, the WUC joined a coalition of Tibetans, Hong Kongers, Southern Mongolians, Taiwanese and Chinese democracy activists urging the international community to commit to a full boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. This is the first official call for a full boycott of the Beijing Games. On Tuesday, the coalition held a private press briefing with major media outlets on the issue of boycott. This was ahead of the hearing on the Olympics in the U.S. Congress, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for a diplomatic boycott. 

Participate

Conversation with Gulbahar Jalilova
Join this important conversation with Gulbahar Jalilova, a camp survivor, UN Chair-Rapporteur of UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls Elizabeth Broderick and World Uyghur Congress Program Manger Zumretay Arkin. This event is organised by the International Service for Human Rights and the World Uyghur Congress. Please register here!